As a little dude, I remember that both my parents were avid readers. And as far back as I can remember, I was surrounded by books, not only in my parents’ library but in the growing library in my bedroom as well.
As an only child with an inclination for “the great indoors”, it didn’t take much coaxing to get me to share in their joy of reading and the love of a good story.
This love followed me around for a lifetime, in all of its forms whether movies, TV dramas, soap operas, biographies, classic novels, contemporary novels, plays, musicals, operas or even newspaper articles. You could say I have been a glutton for good, well-told stories.
Good stories have tugged at my heart and have inspired me. Good stories made me love some characters while I loathed others. Good stories have taken me to places near and far, real and imagined.
Stories have been a constant in my life, no matter how busy I got. There was always time for a good story here and there, for those moments I needed a little escape… or even a big escape.
I don’t know why, but lately I have noticed that my appetite for good stories is growing, bordering on insatiable. The more I see great stories, the more I want to see.
I savour every moment of stories of triumph, stories of personal growth, stories of courage, stories of social change, stories of love, stories of gratitude, stories of survival and stories of our ancestors.
Sometimes when I hear a great story, I sometimes pick up on one idea, one character, or one thread of the story line and think that you could throw the spotlight on just that one element and create a whole new story around it. There is really no end to the potential of storytelling.
Maybe it is because of my aspirations to write that I am soaking up every ounce of inspiration in my path.
Maybe it is because the career-building years are behind me and the finish line is in sight, that my spirit is more tuned in to the storytelling universe, in preparation for my next chapter in life, writing stories of my own.
Maybe it is because of new media like streaming services, self-publishing and social media that keeps delivering new content and raising the bar on the quality of stories.
Maybe it is the growing movement of artists and spectators raising their voices and wanting to see more stories in which they can see themselves and that they can relate to.
Maybe it is because the public has embraced the wider range of story offerings and has shared their delight with family, friends and colleagues, that those responsible for the delivery of the material are more committed to quality and diversity.
Maybe it could be because I have been choosing to see a wider range of material that the richness of each masterpiece helps make for a more compelling experience as a spectator, and keeps me coming back for more.
I wonder to myself if the variety of stories has always been there and I just haven’t noticed, or is the storytelling universe actually evolving?
I suspect that new media’s ability to put more stories in our subconscious, faster, might have something to do with it. Either way, this renaissance is a wonderful time to be a storyteller and for someone who appreciates great stories.
Thanks to the variety and originality of stories that abound and the appetite for more unique content, as a writer I am more inspired than ever to let my creativity fly and more determined than ever to dig deeply for the best possible stories I can share with the world.
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Sincere thanks for reading!
Have a great day,
André
